Peephole device



July 26, 1938. 2 w. FRANKEL' 2,124,525

PEEPHOLE DEVI CE Filed Jah. 29, 1957 2 INVENTOR I MLLIHMFRW/V/(EL 7 7 ATTORNEY 50 an opening Patented July 26, 1938 -1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I PEEPHOLE DEVICE William Frankel, New York, Y. Application January 29, 1937, Serial No. 122,980

19 Claims.

' It is one of. the objects of the invention to provide a device of this type which is self-locking upon release of the opened door member and cannot be opened from the outside of the apartment or room.

More specifically, it is the object of the invention to provide a peep-hole device constructed of a minimum of parts and free of pivoted latch and equivalent movable members requiring special machining, assembly and additional parts. It is a further object of the invention to provide a peep-hole device having only a single movable member and such member capable of. being cast and brought to final condition with a minimum of machining.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a peep-hole device in which the movable door member or plate incorporates, as an integral part thereof, stop and locking devices for limiting the rotary movement of the door member and for holding the door member against opening from the outside.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following more detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a view of my improved peep-hole device looking at it from the interior of the apartment;

Fig. 2 shows the door member or plate in the open position;

Fig. 3 represents a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the manner in which the door member becomes looked upon an attempt to open it from the outside; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 3 and shows more clearly the structure of the door member.

lhe peep-hole device or door wicket forming the subject matter of the present invention consists generally of an inner assembly l0 and an outer member I l which are provided with oppositely directed flanges l2 and I3 adapted to line M in a door l5 in a manner well understood in the art. The member H may be of any suitable construction and forms no part of the present invention.

The inner assembly I!) consists of a base plate 16 which is preferably of. annular form and is integral with the flange l2. The base plate is secured to the outer member H by means of screws l'l passing through a suitable opening in the door and received within a threaded opening in the member H. Other Ways may, of 5 course, be employed for securing the parts I6 and H to each other so as to clamp the door panel between them.

The base plate It is provided with a peripheral recess l8 to one side of the vertical line passing "=10 through the center of-the device for a purpose which will be explained hereinafter. A headed rivet I9 is secured to the plate l6, as shown in Figs. Band 4, the shank of the rivet between its head and the plate 16 having been milled down :15 as shown best at 20, in Fig. 5, the portion of the rivet shank passing through the plate l6 being of still further reduced cross-section so that a shoulder is provided which bears against the surface of the plate 16.

A door member or plate 2| is mounted by way of an inverted key-hole opening 22 upon the shank of the rivet l9. The upper reduced portion of the key-hole opening 22 receives the noncircular shank of the rivet in the normal, lowered position of the door member, so that in such lowered position, the door member cannot be swung to the open position. The enlarged portion of the key-hole slot 22 is of a diameter slightly greater than the original diameter of 30 the rivet shank, so that upon bodily lifting the door member 2|, the enlarged portion of the keyhole opening surrounds the rivet shank, whereupon the door member can be rotated upon the rivet to the open condition shown in Fig. 2.

It will be clear that with the parts so far described the door member is held against rotary movement upon engagement from the outside of. the door; it is nevertheless possible for the door member to be lifted from the outside so as to i 4 bring the enlarged portion of the key-hole slot up to the shank of the rivet, whereupon the door could be rotated from the outside.

In accordance with the invention, simple and inexpensive means are provided which prevent 45 the door member from being raised and rotated from the outside and in effect lock the door member against opening from the exterior. This locking means becomes active upon a slight rearward (leftward in Figs. 3 and 4) movement of the so door member, a movement which is inevitable in any attempt to rotate or lift the door member from the outside.

' In the preferred embodiment of'the invention illustrated, the locking device comprises a fixed '55 larly of the slightly raised boss portion 24 of such member. The lower edge of the abutment 23 terminates slightly above the upper edge of a lug 25 cast integral with the door member 2| and located upon the central portion of the door member which is surrounded by the raised boss portion 2%. In the form of the invention shown, the outer surface of the lug 25 is slightly to the rightof the inner surface of the abutment 23. The door member 2| is, however, loosely mounted upon the rivet and can be moved slightly rearwardly, as'shown in Fig. .4 so that the lug 25 is brought beneath the fixed abutment 23. It will be seen that whereas in the Fig. 3 position the door member 2| can be lifted vertically with the aid of the finger-piece 26, the lug 25 clearing the abutment 23, in the position shown in'Fig. 4 it is impossible to lift the door member into position to enable it to be rotated upon the rivet.

The door member 2| is provided upon its outer surface'with a lug or stop member 21, preferably integral therewith, and shaped and positioned so as to enter the open slot or recess I8 in the base plate I6 as the door member is lowered into its closed position. The stop member 21 operates to prevent rotatory movement of the door member in its lowered position and thus takes the strain on the rivet shank. While this stop member is not absolutely necessary, its presence is desirable as it insures against breakage of the rivet member which otherwise would have to resist a considerable force exerted at the relatively large moment arm between such rivetand the fingerpiece 26.

To perform the function indicated, the stop member 21 is made to fit more closely within the recess I8 than does the door member 2| about the shank of the rivet I9. The stop member and its recess will, of course, be so dimensioned and positioned that when thedoor member 2| has been lifted so as to bring the enlarged portion of the key-hole slot about the rivet shank, the stop member-27 is completely out of engagement with the walls of the recess |8.

The stop member 21 is preferably also so positioned as to limit the opening movement of the door member 2|, and preferably to a position in which, as shown in Fig. 2, the center of gravity of the door member 2| is to the right of the rivet l9 so that upon release of the raised door member, itfwill fall by gravity into its closed position. As the door member falls, the stop member 21 will move into the recess I8, the door member continuing to drop until the stop member 21 has entered the recess I8 and the reduced portion 01' the key-hole .slot 22 surrounds the rivet shank.

From'the aboveit will be seen that I have provided a simple peep-hole device having only a single independently movable part, namely the door member 2|, which on being released in the open position automatically falls into the closed position inwhich it is locked against rotation. The door member is at such time also locked against opening movement by a force imposed shown and described will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without department from the spirit of the invention. Thus, the door member 2| and its associated parts may be so mounted upon a door that such member occupies the posiolockwise or counter-clockwise from cation tion shown in Fig. 4 in the normal position thereof, so that the device remains locked against movement from the outside even without th application of any rearwardly directed force upon the door member. Also, when the stop member 27 is used, it is not necessary to give the shank of 'Also, the stop member Z'Icanrelease so as to bring the stop 21 into position for movement into the recess I8. Of course, the stop member 21 can be dispensed with entirely in which case the door member 2| can move either its open position to its normal closed position. Finally,

it is not essential that the abutment 23 be mount ed on the rivet; it'could be fixed, for example, directly to the base plate I6 or to the door panel and cooperate with a lug on the door member, similar to the lug 25 to prevent upward bodily movement of the door member when the latter is in the position shown in Fig. 4. r

I claim:

l. A peep-hole device for doors and the like comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein, a cover plate normally covering the peephole in the base plate, said cover plate being movable to expose said peep-hole, a fixed abutment member, and a stop member on the oover'plate normally out of engagement with the abutment member but arranged to be brought into engagement with the abutment member to lock the cover plate against opening movement upon the appliof rearward pressure to the cover plate. 2. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the stop member is integral with the cover plate.

3. A peep-hole device comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein, a ,cover plate pivotally V mounted'at its upper portion upon the base plate,

having a peep -hole therein, a cover plate pivotally:

mounted at its upper portion upon the base plate, one of the plates having an open recess which is non-concentric with the pivot of the cover plate, and a lug upon thev other plateadapted to be rece ived within the recess in the lowered, peephole closing position of the cover plate to hold the latter against opening movement.

5. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 4,

wherein the lug is mounted upon the cover plate and is so positioned as to engage the base plate upon swinging of the cover plate to limit the opening movement of the cover plate.

6. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the lug fits more snugly within the recess than does the cover plate about its pivot,.whereby the lug relieves the pivot of stresses arising during attempts to open the cover plate improperly. I

7. A peep-hole device comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein, a pivot having a shank of non-circular cross-section mounted upon the base plate, a cover platemounted upon said pivot by way of an opening in the form of an inverted key-hole slot, thereduced portion of the key-hole slot surrounding the shank of the pivot in the closed position of the cover plate, said cover plate being adapted to be lifted bodily to bring the enlarged portion of the key-hole slot about the shank of the pivot whereupon the cover plate may be swung on said pivot to open position.

8. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 7, including means forming integral parts of the base and cover plates and automatically engageable upon release of the cover plate from its open position to lock the cover plate in its closed position.

9. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 7,

including means forming integral parts of the base and cover plates and automatically engageable upon release of the cover plate from its open position to lock the cover plate in its closed position, said locking means being disengageable upon upward translatory movement of the cover plate to enable the latter to be swung'on its pivot to its open position.

10. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim '7, including a lug on the cover plate and an open recess in the base plate adapted to receive the lug in the lowered, closed position of the cover plate, said recess being non-concentric with said pivot and said lug being positioned to engage the base plate upon the side of the pivot opposite the recess to limit the opening movement of the cover plate to a position in which the center of gravity of such plate is upon the same side of the pivot as the recess, whereby upon release of the opened cover plate, the same drops into its closed position and becomes locked therein upon engagement of the lug within the recess.

11. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim 7 including means for locking the cover plate against upward translatory movement upon the application of rearward pressure thereon.

12. A peep-hole device as set forth in claim '7, including an abutment fixed upon the pivot rearwardly of the cover plate, said cover plate being positioned upon the pivot between such abutment and the base plate and having a limited rearward movement on the pivot, a stop member on the cover plate normally clearing the abutment as the cover plate is moved bodily upward preparatory to swinging the same to open position, but moving into registry with the abutment to be engaged thereby and thereby lock the cover plate against bodily upward movement upon the application of rearward pressure to the cover plate.

13. A peep-hole device comprising a front plate having a peep-hole therein and adapted to face an opening in the panel of a door upon the outside of the door, and a rear assembly positioned upon the inside of the door and secured to the front plate to clamp the door panel therebetween, said rear assembly comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein registering with the aperture in the front plate, a pivot of non-circular cross-section rigidly secured to the upper portion of the base plate, an abutment member rigidly secured to said pivot, a cover plate having an inverted key-hole slot receiving said pivot between the base plate and abutment, an open recess inthe base plate to one side of the pivot, a lug n the rear of the cover plate adapted to be received within the recess in the lowered, closed position of the cover plate to lock the cover plate against movement, said lug being positioned to engage the base plate at the side of the pivot opposite the recess to limit the opening movement of the cover plate to a position in which its center of gravity is at the same side of the pivot as the recess, the reduced portion of the key-hole slot in the cover plate surrounding the non-circular pivot in the closed position of the cover plate, said cover plate; upon vertical bodily movement, receiving the pivot withinthe enlarged portion of the key-slot, the lug being then out of engagement with the recess, whereupon the cover plate may be swung to open posi tion, and a stop member on the cover plate normally clearing the abutment, but engaging the abutment and thereby preventing upward bodily movement of the cover plate upon the application of rearward pressure to the cover plate.

14. A peep-holedevice for doors and the like comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein, a cover plate normally covering the peep-hole in the base plate, a pivot supporting the cover plate on the base plate, means for locking the cover plate against rotatory movement on its pivot while such plate is in its lower position, said locking means being released upon bodily lifting of the cover plate, and a releasable stop for locking the door member against upward bodily movement.

15. A peep hole device for doors and the like, comprising an annular base plate adapted to frame the peep hole, a cover plate, and a pin and slot connection between the plates, the pin and slot being so shaped as to prevent rotation of the cover plate in the lower position of such plate, and the slot including an enlarged portion with which the pin engages as the cover plate is raised to an upper position, said cover plate being then rotatable to expose the peephole.

16. A peep-hole device for doors and the like comprising abase plate having a peep-hole therein, a cover plate normally covering the peep-hole in the base plate, said cover plate being movable to expose said peep-hole, and locking means constructed and arranged to enable the cover plate to partake of its normal opening movements but acting upon the application of a rearward force to the cover plate to engage the cover plate and lock it against opening movement.

17. A peep-hole device for doors and the like comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein, a cover plate normally covering the peep-hole in the base plate, a pivot supporting the cover plate on the base plate, and means for locking the cover plate against rotatory movement on its pivot while such plate is in its lower position, said locking means being released upon bodily lifting of the cover plate. I

18. A peep-hole device for doors and the like comprising a base plate having a. peep-hole there- 1 in, a cover plate normally covering the peep-hole in the base plate, and means for locking the cover plate against opening movement, said looking means including an abutment which is moved into an inoperative, non-locking position upon an initial bodily movement of the cover plate to enable the latter to be moved into peep-hole opening position.

19. A peep-hole device for doors and the like comprising a base plate having a peep-hole therein,a cover plate pivoted upon said base plate in vertical alignment with the center of said peep-hole, an abutment rigid with the base plate, and a stop member on the cover plate engageable with 'theabutment upon the application of force.

rearwardly thereupon to prevent opening movement of the cover plate.

WILLIAM FRANKEL. A 

